1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to load supporting devices, and, more particularly to a deployable load supporting cargo rack for pickup trucks for increasing load carrying capacity by providing a load supporting structure for carrying loads in an elevated position above the floor of the cargo bed of a pickup truck. The present invention is suitable for use with a pickup truck with or without a camper top accessory.
2. Description of the Background Art
Trucks are versatile load carrying vehicles in use throughout the world. Pickup trucks are designed for light to medium duty and generally include a passenger cab, and a cargo box bounded by a floor, side walls, and a tailgate. Pickup trucks have become increasingly popular over the years as a result of the ability to haul a wide variety of loads. For example, pickup trucks are routinely used for transporting equipment, materials, and tools to and from various job sites. In addition, pickup trucks are commonly used for recreational purposes for transporting recreational equipment such as bicycles, camping and hiking gear and the like. While pickup trucks are used extensively for carrying a wide variety of loads, cargo carrying capacity is limited by the physical dimensions of the cargo bed. Furthermore, the load carrying capacity of pickup trucks is commonly restricted by the installation of after-market cargo box accessories. One type of accessory found on many pickup trucks is a cargo box enclosure, commonly referred to as a camper top. Camper tops are typically attached to the top portions of the cargo box side walls and provide a weather proof cover or roof over the cargo box.
The background art reveals a number of load supporting devices for use with pickup trucks to carry and/or secure cargo. For example, the prior art is replete with devices consisting of rigid elongate frame members attachable to one of the respective sides of the pickup for transporting items such as ladders, pipes, and the like. Typical of such devices is the device described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,448, issued to Weston (1980) which discloses an adjustable rigid rack assembly for pickup trucks. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,583, issued to Lowe (1998), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,472, issued to Coffland (1995) each disclose a pivoting rigid frame assembly for pickup trucks that is movable from a collapsed first position to a deployed second position for supporting a load. U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,791, issued to Sulzer (1997) discloses a removable rack system for the bed of a pickup truck. U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,327, issued to Derecktor (1996) discloses a sliding rack assembly for adjustably attaching an overhead rack to the side walls of a pickup truck. U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,038 issued to Fowler et al. (1998) discloses an apparatus for extending the effective dimensions of a truck bed. All of the above-referenced devices, however, include structures that are not suitable for use with pickup trucks equipped with cargo box camper tops.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,156, issued to Richard (1992) discloses an auxiliary load carrier for use with the cargo box of a pickup truck. The device includes a plurality of clamping supports that are securable to the side walls of the cargo box and a pair of load supporting beams, that span the width of the cargo box, connected to the clamping supports. When properly installed the load supporting beams define a load support plane above the wheel wells for supporting a load. The device disclosed by Richard allows the pickup truck cargo box to be configured to a multi-level cargo carrying configuration. While the load carrying device disclosed by Richard appears suitable for use with pickup trucks equipped with camper tops, the invention includes a number of inherent disadvantages. For example, the clamping supports disclosed by Richard are overly complex and do not provide suitable structure for storing the load support beams when not in use. In addition, the mechanism for connecting the load support beams to the clamping structures relies on a plurality of spaced transverse grooves formed on the bottom surface of the beams. This method of connecting the load support beams to the clamping structures appears unreliable and prone to vibration induced detachment, for example, when the truck travels on rough surfaces.
Accordingly, all of the devices in the background art suffer from a number of disadvantages:
(a) they include rigid rack-like structures that are permanently affixed to the truck and are not easily removable; PA1 (b) they are not suitable for use with trucks having camper top enclosures; PA1 (c) they are not easily transported within the cargo box and deployable and stowable within the cargo box; PA1 (d) they do not include tie-down anchors that adjust position to secure cargo of various dimensions.